Problem with my generation (is it???)

I feel blessed to be born in an era where I have what I want and I am pretty sure that people of my age too think the same. The other day I had a heated conversation with my dad regarding the facilities I have got compared to what he had at his time. Nothing new in it though as it is a very common thing in most of the Indian families where the parents keep blaming their children for the kind of facilities, which they themselves provide with, today’s generation has got! This conversation always amuses me because I never asked for these facilities, my parents provided me with these in the first place and now when I am addicted to it, they are blaming me for it! I mean this is just so hilarious. If they had so much of problems then they shouldn’t have made it available to me at all and when they have done so then what’s the logic of cribbing about it after 23 years! When I argue by saying so, I am bombarded with loads of filmy dialogues with the very famous, “Jab khud maa-baap banoge tab samjhoge,” (You’ll understand it when you’ll be a parent yourself)

The issue is that whatever I (read my generation) have to do always draw flak from the elders (read oldies) in my family (read society). The criticism doesn’t end on me ever. It always snowballs and traps the entire generation of mine! If I am born in todays free and liberated world then it is not my fault (actually that’s my good fate).

In India living by traditions has been the tradition up till now but my generation came into existence to break those old traditions, I guess! It isn’t that we don’t respect the traditions but some old and useless traditions are required to be broken and left out. I (read my generation) am heartily dedicated to breaking off the old shackles that are tying us down and this attitude is not putting up with the elders. So I am convicted every time even though I am never at fault.

This problem has a deep rooted past. A past which is too stark and intense. My (read our) parents never rose their voice, I wouldn’t be wrong if I say that they never spoke, in front of their parents (i.e. my grandparents). They were brought up with the most common sanskaar in Indian culture i.e. “Bado ke agey nahi bolna.” (You should not argue with your elders) Whatever they say is right for you. “Humne duniya dekhi hai.” (We have seen the world). No doubt about it. If you are 30yrs elder to me then definitely you have seen a lot more than me and you know the world better than me but until and unless I am allowed to see the world with my eyes and experience it my way, how will I learn? If I am to walk on the same path that you walked on then who will create new pathways? And if we all started walking on the same path then it will be over crowded. Diversions are necessary!

I have got my brains to use. I cannot simply agree to what you are saying just because you are my elders. The rigidity of elders, basically in India, is tough to deal with. It has to be their way, they cannot be wrong ever because they are our elders! We all are humans and we make mistakes. It’s absolutely normal to do so (you should be worried if you are not making mistakes!). Mistakes are what people term as experience after many years. So I request you to let me make my OWN mistakes so that I’ll also have experiences to tell my kids and I too can blame them for being what I am right now! (That is what the tradition is right?)